Nature News

Biology and other science news items from Nature News, the popular science syndication arm of the premier international science publisher, the Nature Publishing Group. Nature News is an authoritative and accessible online roundup of what's new in science research.

Pancreatic cancer usually spreads to the liver. The identification of signals from cells adjacent to pancreatic tumours that boost liver colonization might suggest ways to block this deadly form of cancer invasion.

Insecticides that kill mosquitoes have helped to fight malaria, but insecticide resistance is rising. Treating mosquitoes with drugs that target the disease-causing parasite offers another way of tackling malaria.

Bone elongation requires the maintenance of a growth plate of cartilage. Two studies have now identified stem cells specific to this structure that give rise to both cartilage cells and bone-marrow stem cells.